Historic Endurance Races Light Up Jarama Classic

The Jarama Classic provided the perfect stage for the 2025 season debut of the Iberian Historic Endurance in Spain. At the legendary Circuito de Madrid Jarama – RACE, with 18,000 spectators in attendance, the paddock buzzed with atmosphere and camaraderie while two thrilling races played out on track.

In the qualifying session that set the grid for Race 1, a last-minute entry from the Classic Legends team saw the Ford GT40 driven by Hipólito Pires / Diogo Tavares / Tiago Magalhães clinch a surprise pole position, catching the usual front-runners off guard. Bruno Santos and his son Tiago Santos also lined up on the front row with their Porsche 911 RS, while the second row was filled by Paulo Lima’s Ford GT40 and the Chevrolet Corvette C3 L88 shared by Pedro Bethencourt and Jorge Nogueira Pinto.

On Saturday afternoon, the race got off to an intense battle for the leading positions. Paulo Lima jumped into the lead on the opening lap, closely followed by Bruno Santos. As the race progressed, the Ford GT40 gradually pulled away, establishing a clear lead at the front. Lima managed the race impeccably, securing the overall victory as well as the win in the GTP & SC class, sharing the podium with Carlos Barbot / Filipe Vieira de Campos (Merlyn MK4) and João Mira Gomes / Nuno Afoito (Lotus Seven).

The fight for second place was even more exciting, with the H-1976 class win at stake. With just nine minutes remaining, the MR Auto team, made up of Carlos Brizido and Miguel Lobo, overtook the duo Bruno / Tiago Santos to take the class lead. The battle remained fierce right until the final lap, with the Porsche 911 RS of Bruno Duarte / Filipe Jesus constantly looking for an opening, ultimately crossing the line in third place in class.

In the H-1971 class, victory went to the pairing of Piero Dal Maso and João Carvalhosa, who brought the Porsche 911 2.5 ST home in fifth overall. Although for much of the race the class was led by the Corvette L88 of Bethencourt / Nogueira Pinto, their race ended prematurely due to running out of fuel for the more than 7-litre engine. The very experienced duo Jorge Santos / Alcides Petiz made a strong impression by climbing to second place in the early stages and could have reached the podium if not for an unexpected mechanical failure in their Alfa Romeo GTAm. The large crowd also witnessed an impressive recovery from António Simões, driving a Ford Escort with rookie Manuel Domingues, who rose to second place, while the Spanish pairing Antonio Casto / Ángel Lanchares, in a Porsche 911 2.5 ST, used their knowledge of the Madrid circuit to hold onto a well-deserved third place.

In the H-1965 class, young driver Guillaume Huber shone by taking commanding victories in both races with his Ford Mustang. Making a promising debut, Ernesto Vieira and André Castro Pinheiro started strong but lost some pace due to a mistake at the Nuvolari Curve. Nevertheless, they managed to recover and secured a well-deserved second place behind the wheel of their Shelby Mustang GT350, while Swiss driver Ralf Huber, in an identical car, completed the podium.

In the second race of the weekend, Paulo Lima once again dominated from the start, quickly pulling away from his rivals. Notably, the Corvette of Pedro Bethencourt and Jorge Nogueira Pinto, starting from a lower grid position, climbed to third within the opening laps. Avoiding unnecessary risks while lapping slower cars, Paulo Lima steered the RP Motorsport Ford GT40 to a second consecutive victory.

After an intense battle with Miguel Lobo and Carlos Brizido, the duo Carlos Barbot and Filipe Vieira de Campos crossed the finish line in third place, securing second in the GTP & SC class, while Tiago Raposo Magalhães and Hipólito Pires rounded off the weekend on the podium.

Miguel Lobo and Carlos Brizido claimed another victory in the H-1976 class, once again joined on the podium by Bruno Santos / Tiago Santos and Bruno Duarte / Filipe Jesus.

In the H-1971 class, Piero Dal Maso and João Carvalhosa managed to regain the lead in the latter part of the race, followed closely by the Corvette L88—one of the crowd favourites—and the ASM Team’s Ford Escort.

Father and son Guillaume and Ralf Huber took the top two spots on the H-1965 podium in the second race of the weekend, held at Spain’s first permanent racing circuit.

In the Gentlemen Driver Spirit (GDS) category, two intense battles took place, featuring the Porsche 911 SWB of Nuno Nunes, the Ford Cortina Lotus of Luís Sousa Ribeiro, and the Porsche 911 SWB shared by José Carvalhosa and João Rodrigo Santos, who finished both races in that order. Interestingly, the trio was closely pursued by Ralf Huber’s Mustang, which, despite competing in a different class, showed great pace and provided plenty of entertainment for the fans.

The victory in the Index of Performance — a special classification that rewards technical excellence and consistency regardless of outright speed — went to the Lotus Elite of the duo Martin Aubert / Adam Bruzas. Their repeat success from 2024 earned them once again an exclusive Swiss watch from the prestigious brand Cuervo y Sobrinos, a symbol of tradition and refinement.

Luís Sousa Ribeiro, in the fast Ford Cortina Lotus, and the duo Alberto Velez-Grilo / Tomaz Velez-Grilo, in the reliable BMW 1800 TiSA, completed the podium.

After three events, the pair Piero dal Maso / Guilherme dal Maso lead the “1000 km Trophy,” with a two-lap advantage over Bruno Duarte / Filipe Jesus.

The Iberian competition now takes a short break before returning to the track on the weekend of 13th and 14th September at the Circuit Ricardo Tormo in Valencia.